Netherlands named 8th least corrupt nation in annual review, but issues remain
The Netherlands is the 8th least-corrupt nation in the world, accordion to Transparency International’s 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). The Netherlands has strong institutions and well-functioning democracy, but it also has some work to do when it comes to political integrity measures and lobbying transparency, the report noted.
The Netherlands scored 80 on the ranking, which ranges from “highly corrupt” 0 to “very clean” 100. The country scored slightly worse than last year when it got 82.
“Countries with strong institutions and well-functioning democracies often find themselves high on the Index,” Transparency International said. That is the case for all the countries in the top 10, which are dominated by Western European and EU countries. Only New Zealand and Singapore are in the top 10 and outside that region.
The Netherlands does have some issues to work on, however. The country scored poorly in battling cross-border corruption. The researchers explicitly noted that “companies or individuals are still almost never brought to court in connection with corruption abroad” in the Netherlands. The country also needs to do more to ensure political integrity and lobbying transparency. “The Netherlands is among the weakest in the [Western Europe & EU) region when it comes to lobbying oversight.”
“Even countries that hold the top spots on the CPI have stagnated as they fail to address shortcomings in political integrity frameworks,” Transparency International warned. “States like Switzerland and the Netherlands are showing signs of decline amidst concerns over weak integrity and lobbying regulations.”
Ten Least Corrupt nations in 2022
- Denmark (1st)
- Finland (2nd)
- New Zeland (2nd)
- Norway (4th)
- Singapore (5th)
- Sweden (5th)
- Switzerland (7th)
- Netherlands (8th)
- Germany (9th)
- Ireland (10th)
- Luxembourg (10th)
Ten Most Corrupt nations in 2022
- Somalia (180th)
- Syria (178th)
- South Sudan (178th)
- Venezuela (177th)
- Yemen (176th)
- Libya (171st)
- North Korea (171st)
- Haiti (171st)
- Equatorial Guinea (171st)
- Burundi (171st)
